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Walter Motor Truck Company
The Walter Motor Truck Company was an American truck manufacturer specializing in heavy duty all wheel drive trucks. The company also built fire apparatus being particularly well known for its aircraft crash trucks. Walter was purchased by the fire apparatus manufacturer KME in 1997. History William Walter built his first automobile in 1898 and established the Walter Automobile Company in 1904, first in New York City, then later in Trenton, New Jersey. The Walter Automobile Company would go out of business in 1909. William Walter decided that the large truck market offered more opportunity so in 1911 he established the Walter Motor Truck Company in New York City, New York. The company would offer trucks in the 1 1/2 ton to 7 ton class. In 1914 Walter would begin to offer four wheel drive trucks. Walter's four wheel drive trucks would find a receptive market in the logging, construction, and mining industries. In 1923 the company relocated to Long Island, New York. By the mid 1920s Walter was building trucks up to 25 tons capacity. In 1929 Walter introduced a chassis for snow plows which it called the Snow fighter. Snow removal equipment would remain a major product throughout the company's existence. Walter established a Canadian sales and service division in 1932. The Canadian division was expanded to include the manufacture trucks in 1957 and in 1968 became an independent company Walter Motor Trucks of Canada Ltd. During World War 2, Walter would provide the U.S. Army with four wheel drive artillery tractors as well as snow removal equipment. In 1957 Walter moved to a larger facility in Voorheesville, New York. The Walter Motor Truck Company went out of business in 1980. In an unusual twist one time subsidiary Walter Canada Inc. would purchase the company, forming Walter Canada Ltd. A U.S. subsidiary Walter Equipment USA was then established in Guilderland Center, New York. In 1985 Walter Canada Ltd went out of business and Walter Equipment USA was sold becoming the Walter Truck Corporation. The Walter Truck Corporation was sold to fire apparatus manufacturer KME in 1997. Walter Fire Apparatus The Walter Automobile Company built a combination chemical hose unit on a large touring car chassis in 1908. The Walter Motor Truck Company entered the fire apparatus market in 1929 when the company received a contract to build a fleet tractors for the FDNY. These tractors were used to motorize horse drawn aerial ladders and water towers. During the 1930s the company would receive more orders for fire apparatus including tractors, hose wagons and pumpers. The first Walter crash truck was built in 1944 for the Canadian military. In 1949 Walter in association with the Maxim Motor Company built several crash trucks for the New York Port Authority which had responsibility for 3 major airports. Sales to other large airports would follow. In California the Yankee Motor Body Company had been building crash trucks on Walter chassis since the mid 1950s. This led to a partnership between the two companies and the creation of the Yankee-Walter Corporation established to market the crash trucks Yankee built on Walter chassis. This partnership would last until Yankee went out of business in 1972. Walter began to manufacture its own series of crash trucks in 1959 which continued until the company was purchased by KME in 1997. Walter would be very successful in this market providing large crash trucks to airports around the world. It would also receive many military contracts for crash trucks. In addition to Walter built fire equipment, other manufacturers also used Walter trucks to build fire apparatus. Sources :* Simiele, Mark Walter 100% Traction; The History of the Empire State's Specialty Truck Manufacturer. Franklin, NJ: Contemporary Color, 2000. :* McCall, Walter M.P. Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Fire Engine Manufacturers. Hudson, WI: Iconografix, 2007. :* Georgano, G.N. The Complete Encyclopedia of Commercial Vehicles. Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications, 1979. Category:Defunct American fire apparatus manufacturers Category:Apparatus Component Manufacturers